Walker for invalids



June 14, 1966 F. GARRINGER 3,256,035

WALKER FOR INVALIDS Filed March 15, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 14 1966F. GARRINGER WALKER FOR INVALIDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 15, 1965United States Patent 3,256,035 WALKER FOR INVALIDS Frank Garringer, 4424Chelsea, Lisle, lll. Filed Mar. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 439,745 13 Claims.(Cl. 297-6) The present invention relates to -a Walker for invalidsincorporating features enabling the user -to be largely self sutiicientand, thus, requiring minimum of attention from others, and the followingdisclosure thereof is offered for public dissemination upon the grant ofa patent therefor.

The requirements for'an ideal Walker are somewhat paradoxical. In thefirst place -the invalid should do as much as possible for himself andshould be aided only to a minimum extent. This is important because ofthe desirability that the invalid use his own muscles and dexterity tothe greatest possible extent. Conversely however, the Walker must notrequire manipulations by the in- 'valid that are beyond the ability ofthe invalid to perform. If this requirement is violated, .the walkereither is useless or the presence of another is required to an extentthat is undesirable. The principal object of the present invention is toprovide a walker having features which will enable it to be used solelyby Ithe invalid, developing the abilities of the invalid to utilize hisown muscles, while, at the same time, making the operational problemssufficiently simple so that they are not beyond the invalidscapabilities.

It will be apparent from the subsequent description that numerousfeatures embodied in the present invention contribute to the achievingof this compromise between providing some aid, but not too much, andbetween calling for the invalid to use his abilities, but not posingproblems beyond the invalids capability.

In the first place, the walker is so designed that an invalid who isambulatory, even though having severely impaired motor actions, can getinto and out of the walker by himself. This not only provides greaterfreedom for the invalid along with a sense of accomplishment but,obviously, at the same time, reduces the extent to which he must becared for by others. Other walkers either tend to be beyond ythecapabilities of the severely handicapped or require a great deal ofassistance from another party when the invalid enters or leaves theWalker. Once in the walker of the present invention, the invalid canoperate as independently as he is capable or, conversely, he can callupon the assistance of 4the walker to such an extent as he feels isnecessary. The structure of the walker is such as to cushion the invalidagainst harm or injury such as might be caused bythe spastic movementsof the invalid or by operation of the Walker over an uneven surface.

One feature that contributes greatly on the use of the walker by aninvalid as aforesaid is the novel `seat and operating mechanismtherefor. With the seat folded out of the way, the invalid can move intoand out of the walker partially or completely unaided (depending uponthe capabilities of the invalid). With the seat in position, the invalidis enclosed on four sides by a framework of one sort or another, thuspreventing his falling out of the Walker. Of course, the seat may beused as such whenever the invalid so desires. Again an important featureis that the operations required to raise or lower the seat are withinthe capabilities of even a severely handicapped person.

Another important feature is the incorporation of brakes so constructedthat they may be manipulated by one having little'dexterity. Brakes, ofcourse, greatly aid Fice in the use of the walker. Itis particularlyimportant that the walker remain stationary when the invalid isendeavoring to enter it or to move away from it. While brakes are knownto the prior art, they tend to be too complicated for a severelyhandicapped individual to use.

Another feature of the presen-t invention is that it is tailored .tosize, as it were, by relatively simple adjustment operations. Theembodiments need notV be specially made for each individual. At the sametime, the advantages of a properly tted walker always can be obtained.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the seat in raisedposition;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary section as viewed at line V4--4 0f FIGURE 2,;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the seat in thelowered position;

FIGURE 6 corresponds to FIGURE 5 except that the seat is partiallyfolded;

FIGURE 7 is a further step in the seat folding operation;

-FIGURE 8 shows the seat almost raised;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary plan view showing the seat in loweredposition; and

FIGURE l() is a partial section as viewed at line 10-10 of FIGUR-ES land 2. Y

Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination isdetailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intendedto prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each newinventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it byvariations in form or additions orfurther improvements. The claims atthe end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose; as itis these -that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts,improvements or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

The walker comprises a tubular metal frame having two sides, generally10 and 11. Each side has anupper rail 12, a lower rail 13, a front post14, a rear post 15 and an L-shaped seatsupport 16. At the front theframe has two front connecting bars 17 and 18. As best seen in FIG- URE1 the rear of the frame is open, except for the seat as hereinafterdescribed.

At the rear the frame includes downwardly extending,

inverted U-shaped brackets 20 which are fixed in posi- Y tened to posts31. Posts 31 form a part of the frame and are secnred'between upperrails 12 and lower rails 13. As lbest seen in FIGURE 4, posts 31 have abox-shape with a slot 32 along the inner s-ide thereof. A plate 33 issecured `to the bottom end of each sleeve30.- A plate 34 is slidablyreceived within post 31. A stud bolt 35 is secured to and forms a partof inner plate 34. Bolt 35 projects through slot 32 and through asuitable opening in oute'r plate 33. Nut 36 is threaded onto the outerend of bolt 35 to clamp plate 33 to post 31. Adjacent rail 12, sleeve 30slidably extends through the vertical opening defined by a U-shapedguide 37 forming a part of the frame with its ends welded to post 31. Byloosening nut 36, bolt 35 and plates 33 and 34 may be moved verticallywith respect to post 31, thus, raising or lowering sleeve 30. Withinsleeve 30 is an -abutment 38 on which rests a spring 39. Piston' 29rests on the top of spring 39. Thus, piston 29 is resiliently supportedby spring 39. Of course, piston 29 land crossbar 28 are raised andlowered by the raising and lowering of stud bolt 35.

Crossbar 28 is formed of the same box section as is post 31. The slot 42in the side thereof is seen in FIGURE 10. Within crossbar 28 is an innerplate 43 to which is secured a stud bolt 44. A nut 45 (FIGURES 1 and 2)is threaded onto stud bolt 44 and abuts the outer face of crossbar 28 atthe rearward side thereof. A support 46 is secured to each of stud bolts44 and has its rearwardly end 47 turned upwardly. Supports 46 aresuitably cushioned as by means of rubber padding. Similarly, a cushionedpad 48 encircles the central part of crossbar 28 and cushion pads 49encircle the upper portions of sleeves 30.

By loosening nuts 45, the inner plate 43 and support 46 m-ay be movedtransversely -along crossbar 28. Thus, the spacing and positioning ofsupports 46 may be adjusted for the size of the individual using thewalker. The spacing between supports 46 should be such that the supportsare comfortably received under the armpits of the user.

On each of upper rails 12, rearwardly of the support device 27, are apair of eyes 52. Covered and cushioned springs 53 extend betweenopposite pair-s of eyes 52. In the arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 1,the spr-ings ex tend from the rearward eye on one side to the forwardeye on the opposite side. This proves to be the most suitablearrangement for most individuals. However, other positioning of thesprings might be used. They could extend between the two rearward eyes52 or 'between the two forward eyes 52 depending on the fitting of theindividual to the walker.

Secured to the seat support 16 on the left side 10 is a hinge plate 55forming a part of hinge 56. The other half of the hinge is -secured toseat 57. The opposite end 57a of seat 57 is fitted to rest on seatsupport 16 of side 11, as `best seen in FIGURE 9.

A rod 59 is secured to seat 57 by a pair of hinges 60. A seat back 61 isaiiixed to rod 59. Beyond the. pivotal axis of seat S7, as defined byhinge 56, rod 59 has a lever 62 secured thereto. A spring 63 has one endhooked through an opening in lever 62 and the other end hooked to a ring64 on side 10 of the frame. A cord 65 has a hook 66 in an opening in theother end of lever 62. From lever 62 cord 65 descends about pulley 67and then rises up along the left side of the frame to be hooked on thatside of the frame at 68, A cord 69 is hooked 4to seat back 61 at 70 andto side 10 of the frame at 71.

'Each of rear wheels 22 has a brake formed by lever 74. Lever I74 issecured to a pivoted pin 75 which, in turn, is journaled in a sleeve 76on the respective side of the frame. At the inward end a cotter key orC- washer on pivot pin 75 prevents it from sliding out of the sleeve.Lever 74 has -a wheel engaging end 74a. A cord 77 and a spring 78 areconnected to lever 74 adjacent the other end thereof. Cord 77 isanchored to the side of the frame at 79. Thimbles 80 are provided on thesides of the frame for latching lever 74 in the brake-on posiiton. Whenthe cord 77 is hooked over rthimble 80, as illustrated in dotted linesin FIGURE 2, lever 74 is pivoted so that end 74a is in frictionalengagement with wheel 22.

An ambulatory invalid can enter the rear of the walker when the seat 57is raised, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. At this time both of cords77 would be hooked over thimbles l so that the brake would be applied toprevent the walker from moving around. After entering the walker, theinvalid would insert supports 46 under his armpits so that ends 47thereof were hooked behind his shoulders. The brakes would be releasedby engaging cords 77 and lifting the cords upwardly and outwardly, freeof thimbles 80. When the cords are then released, springs 78 would pivotlevers 74 in a direction such -as to displace ends 74a from wheels 22.By pushing his vbody forwardly, the invalid can move the walkerforwardly either by means of pressure on the cushion 48 of crossbar 28or by pressure on the covered springs 53. Backward movements of thewalker are accomplished either by grasping the frame with the hands ormerely relying -upon the engagement of ends 47 behind the shoulders ofthe invalid.

In some instances the invalid would want to lower seat S7 immediatelyafter entering. In other instances it would only be lowered when theinvalid desired to be seated. In either event, all that is required tomove the seat downwardly is a slight pressure on the top thereof pushingthe top towards side 11 of the frame. In the raised position, seat 57 ison the -side 10 from the axis of its pivotal mounting, i.e. hinge 56. Bymerely moving the seat back across center toward side 11, the seat thenwill descend by its own weight. As end 57a of the seat approaches thesupport 16 on side 11, spring 63 becomes effective as a counterbalanceto prevent the seat from banging down. The pull of spring 63 also iseiTective to p ivot lever 62 and rod 59 clockwise as viewed in FIG- URE6. When the seat 57 is fully lowered, as illustrated in FIGURE 5, theseat back has been moved to the raised position by the pivotal movementof rod 59. When the seat is lowered, cord 69 holds the vback in position`and prevents it from pivoting rearwardly to a greater extent.

To raise the seat, the invalid may merely pull on cord 65. Continuedpull on cord 65 rotates the seat back 61 against the seat 57 andcontinues the raising of the seat 57 as illustrated in FIGURE 8. As theseat moves to the vertical position, it has sufiicient momentum so thatit continues across center, i.e. the vertical plane within which hinge56 lies, and comes to rest against side 10 of .the frame.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that an invalid, `asfor example a rather substantially crippled cerebral palsy victim, canutilize the walker practically or completely unaided. While themanipulation of cords 65, 77 and 69 `are not easy for such anindividual, it is within `the range of his capabilities. Even though hemay not `be able to grasp parts in the usual sense, he can hook a`finger or two under the respective cord and manipula-te the cord -toachieve the desired result. When in the Walker, he is securely bracedwith substantially no likelihood of his being injured as la result ofhis spastic motions.

Having the two -rear wheels mounted about fixed axes adds stability tothe walker. At the same time, lthe two fron-t wheels being castermounted enable the `walker to be steered when going either 'forwardly orrearwardly.

Y I claim:

`1. An invalid -walker including: a lframe having two sides defining arear opening therebetween; front and rear wheel means secured to saidframe to support it on the ground; a support device including a crossbarinterconnecting said sides, said crossbar ybeing positioned at aboutchest height, said device providing a resilient support for saidcrossbar with respect to said frame; .a pair of vbody supports extendingrearwardly from said crossbar and having free ends spaced from saidcrossbar, said supports projecting upwardly at said free ends, saidsupports being adapted to be received under the armpits of the invalid;and means adjustably positioning said body supports on said crossbarwhereby said supports may be adjusted toward or away from each other.

2. A walker as set forth in claim 1, wherein said device includes twogenerally vertical side supports, one secured to each of said sides,each side support including a sleeve member, a piston memberreciprocally received in the sleeve member and a springresiliently-urging the members away from each other, one of said membersbeing aixed to .the respective side and the other member being securedto the crossbar.

3. A walker as set forth in claim 2, wherein said device includes meansreleasably aixing said one member to the respective side .and to permitsaid one member to be vertically adjusted with respect to the side whenreleased.

'4. An invalid walker including: a frame having .two

sides defining a rear opening therebetween, said sides ex tendingupwardly to about waist height; front and rear wheel lmeans secured tosaid frame to support it on Ithe ground; a support device including acrossbar interconnecting said sides, said crossbar being positioned atabout chest height, said device providing a resilient support for saidcrossbar with respect to said frame; a pair of body supports extendingrearwardly from said crossbar and having free ends spaced from saidcrossbar, said supports projecting upwardly at said free ends, saidsupports being adapted to be received under the armpits of the invalid;and resilient means rearwardly of said crossbar and extending betweensaid sides at about waist height to provide a portion that .the invalidcan push against in the use of the walker.

5. A walker as set -forth in claim 4, wherein said resilient means canbe adjusted so that said portion is further forwardly or rearwardly withrespect Ito said sides.

6. An invalid walker including: a lframe having two sides dening a rearopening therebetween; fron-t and rear wheel means secured to said frameto support it 4on the ground; a support device including a crossbarinterconnecting said sides, said crossbar being positioned at aboutchest height, said device providing a resilient support for saidcrossbar with respect to said frame; lsaid frame ex- -tendingsufficiently to the rear of said crossbar to permit an invalid .to enterbetween the sides and stand forwardly of the rear of lthe frame; a seatat said rear of the frame, said seat being hinged -to one side andsupported by the opposite side; operating means connected to said seatand extending to about the middle of the frame to raise the seat foringress and egress; and a pair of body supports extending rearwardlyfrom said crossbar and having free ends spaced from said crossbar, saidsupports projecting upwardly .at said free ends, said supports beingadapted to be received under the armpits of the invalid.

7. A walker as set forth in claim 6, wherein said hinge connection ismounted to'permit said seat .to move across the pivotal center when .theseat is raised, said operating means including a cord connected to theseat at the opposite side of the pivotal center from the side at whichthe seat is mounted, ya pulley mounted adjacent the bot- -tom of theAframe, saidcord extending downwardly from the seat, about the pulleyand then back up to the top of the side, and including counterbalancemeans connected to ythe seat.

8. A Walker .as set forth in claim 6, including a brake for one of thewheel means, said brake being pivotally connected to the frame andmovable between a position at which it frictionally engages the onewheel means and aposition a-t which it is free of the one wheel means,spring means connecting lthe brake and the frame to resiliently urge thebrake to one of said positions, and cord means connected to the brake toenable the brake to be manually moved to the other position, said cordmeans extending to about ythe middle of the frame.

9. An invalid walker including: a frame having two sides defining a rearopening therebetween; front and rear wheel means secured to said yframeto support it on the ground; support means between the sidesapproximately 'midway between the front and rear of the frame and havingportions -to iit under the armpits of `an invalid to support the invalidand a cross member against which the invalid can push, said supportmeans lbeing suciently forwardly of the rear of the frame to enable aninvalid to enter between the sides an'd `stand forwardly of said rear,and a seat at said rear, said seat being hinged lto one side for pivotalupward movement and supported -by the opposite side, and operating meansconnected to said sea-t and extending to about the middle of the frameto raise the seat -for ingress and egress. Y l10. A walker as set forthin claim 9, wherein said hing ismounted to permit said seat to moveacross the pivotal center when the seat is raised, said operating meansincluding a cord connected to the seat at the opposite side of thepivotal cen-ter from .the side at which the lseat is mounted, a pulleymounted adjacent the bottom of the frame, said cord extending downwardlyfrom the seat, about the pulley and then back up to' the top of -theside, and including coun-terbalance means connected to the seat.

11. A walker as set forth in claim 10, including a brake for one of -thewheel means, said brake being pivotally connected to the frame andmovable between a posi-tion at which it frictionally engages .the onewheel means and a position at which it is free of the one wheel means,spring means connecting -the brake and the frame to resiliently urge thebrake to one -of said positions, and a cord connected to the brake toenable the brake to be manually moved to the other position.

1i2. A walker as set forth in claim' 9, wherein the front wheel meansare caster mounted and the rear wheel means include wheels on each sidemounted for rotation about axes .that are fixed with respect to theframe.

l1'3. An invalid walker including: a frame having two sides dening arear opening therebetween; front and rear wheel means secured to saidframe to support it on the ground; a support device including a crossbarinterconnecting said sides, said crossbar being positioned at aboutchest height, said device comprising two generally vertical sidesupports, one secured to each of said sides, each side support includinga sleeve member, a piston member reciprocally received in the sleevemember and a spring resiliently urging the piston member out of thesleeve member, one of said members being aixed to the respec- -tive sideand the other member Ibeing secured to the crossbar, said deviceincludes means releasably aixing said one member to the respective sideand. to permit said one member to be vertically adjusted with respecttothe side when released; a pair of body supports extending horizontallyfrom said crossbar and having free ends spaced rearwardly from saidcrossbar, said supports projecting upwardly at said free ends, saidsupports being adapted to be received -under the armpits of the invalid,means adjustably positioning said body supports' on said cross- 'barwhereby said body supports may be adjusted toward or away from eachother; resilient means rearwardly of said crossbar and'extendingbet-Ween said -sides at about waist height to provide a portion that theinvalid can push against in the Iuse of the walker; a seat at said rear,said seat being hin-ged to one side for Iupward pivotal movement andsupported by the opposite side, said hinge connection ibeing mounted topermit said seat .to move across the pivotal center when the seat israised; operating means connected to said seat and extending to aboutthe middle of-the frame tto raise the seat for ingress and egress, saidoperating means including a cord connected to the seat at the oppositeside of the pivotal center from the side at which Ithe seat is mounted,a pulley mounted adjacent the bottom of the frame, said cord extendingdownwardly from the seat about the pulley and then back upto the top ofthe side; counterbalance means connected .to the seat; a brake for oneof the wheel means, said brake being pivotally connected to the frameand movable between a position at which it -frictionally engages the onewheel means yand a position at which it is free of -the one Wheel means;spring means connecting 'the brake and the yframe to resiliently urigeythe brake to one of said positions; and cord means connected to thebrake to enable the brake to he manually moved to the other position.

References Cited by the Ex-aminer UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 181,9571/-1958 Callaham 297-463 130,283 8/1872 Darrach 272-704 8 Knderer297-463 yFinl/bciner 297-6 Carter 297-6 Duke 297-6 Hack 297-5 Leslie297-6 Johannesen 297-5 Moore 297-463 10 FRANK B. SHERRY, PrimaryExaminer.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Examiner.

6. AN INVALID WALKER INCLUDING: A FRAME HAVING TWO SIDES DEFINING A REAROPENING THEREBETWEEN; FRONT AND REAR WHEEL MEANS SECURED TO SAID FRAMETO SUPPORT IT ON THE GROUND; A SUPPORT DEVICE INCLUDING A CROSSBARINTERCONNECTING SAID SIDES, SAID CROSSBAR BEING POSITIONED AT ABOUTCHEST HEIGHT, SAID DEVICE PROVIDING A RESILIENT SUPPORT FOR SAIDCROSSBAR WITH RESPECT TO SAID FRAME; SAID FRAME EXTENDING SUFFICIENTLYTO THE REAR OF SAID CROSSBAR TO PERMIT AND INVALID TO ENTER BETWEEN THESIDES AND STAND FORWARDLY OF THE REAR OF THE FRAME; A SEAT AT SAID REAROF THE FRAME SAID SEAT BEING HINGED TO ONE SIDE AND SUPPORTED BY THEOPPOSITE SIDE; OPERATING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SEAT AND EXTENDING TOABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE FRAME TO RAISE THE SEAT FOR INGRESS AND EGRESS;AND A PAIR OF BODY SUPPORTS